In the field of industrial fabrication, it is always sought to automatise as far as possible the various steps for fabricating a product, for economical reasons as much as a desire to achieve the highest possible level of reliability. The large scale fabrication of watches is no exception to this rule. In this field, the fixing quality of the various components and the reliability of the electrical connections are determining factors. Indeed, the sealing of the watch, in particular, depends upon the fixing quality of its components. Moreover, reliable electrical connections guarantee that the watch will operate properly over time.
The present invention concerns an electronic watch with a digital time display. This watch comprises, in particular, bonded to the inner face of the crystal, a digital display device such as a liquid crystal display cell connected by means of a zebra connector to a printed circuit board on which are mounted the various electronic components controlling the watch. The printed circuit board is housed inside the watch case, underneath and remote from the digital display device.
Two types of problem were encountered during the fabrication of the first prototypes of this watch. Firstly, it was realised that the electrical contact between the display device and the printed circuit board was not always reliable. Consideration was also given as to the best method of fixing the crystal to the middle part of the watch so as to guarantee the sealing of the watch.